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Is Great Wolf Lodge Pet Friendly? 2024 Policy & Requirements

Rachel Giordano

By Rachel Giordano

Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

Are you planning a trip to one of the Great Wolf Lodge’s locations but unsure if they are pet-friendly? Knowing the facts before you go is essential in ensuring you can bring your pet along and avoid headaches when you get there.

To answer the question, unfortunately, Great Wolf Lodge locations are not pet-friendly unless you have a service dog.

hepper-single-cat-paw-divider-e1614923017121What Is Great Wolf Lodge?

Great Wolf Lodge is a chain of family-oriented resorts specializing in water parks. The company was established in 1997 and has expanded to over 20 locations spread out all across North America. The resorts offer lodging and water parks, mini-golf, arcades, kid-friendly spas, rock climbing walls, bowling, and more.

Why Is Great Wolf Lodge Not Pet-Friendly?

All Great Wolf Lodge locations prohibit pets due to the safety and consideration of all guests. One of their main goals is to ensure the resort is clean and safe for everyone and one way to ensure that is to prohibit pets. Pets leave behind fur, dander, and other debris that can trigger allergies for some guests, and allowing pets compromises the resort’s ability to keep all resorts clean, safe, and allergy-free.

Great Wolf Lodge Gurnee
Great Wolf Lodge Gurnee (Image Credit: Harobouri, Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0 Universal)

What Are the Requirements to Bring My Service Dog?

All Great Wolf Lodge locations allow service dogs; however, one must register their service dog with the US Service Animal Registrar. An important fact to know is service dogs are not allowed in the pools or any attractions of the resorts, so if you have your service dog with you, you will be prohibited from enjoying these attractions with your service dog.

Here are a few important reminders for those with service dogs planning a trip to any Great Wolf Lodge location:

  • You must clean up after your dog.
  • The dog must be under the owner’s control at all times.
  • Service animals are not permitted in pools or water park areas but are permitted in all other public areas.
  • A service animal will be excluded from the resort if the animal’s behavior directly threatens guests’ health and safety.

Does My Emotional Support Animal Qualify?

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), emotional support animals are not the same as service dogs. Service dogs are specifically trained for a person’s specific disability to perform tasks and to do work for that particular person’s needs. For example, an individual with diabetes may have a service dog that is trained to alert the person to high or low blood sugar levels.

Emotional support animals are not trained to do specific tasks for a person with a disability; therefore, they do not qualify as a service animal under the ADA.

hepper cat paw dividerConclusion

All Great Wolf Lodge locations are not pet-friendly, with the exception of service animals. If you’re planning a trip to one of the many locations, you’ll need to make other arrangements for your pooch. Unfortunately, if you must bring your dog on your trip, you’ll need to look for pet-friendly locations to accommodate you and your pet.


Featured Image Credit to: Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania (Carlos Pacheco, Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 Generic)

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